Attorney General Chris Koster has joined many of his counterparts from around the country in launching a new effort to crack down on fraudulent fundraisers. “Operation Broken Charity” is a nationwide sweep of fraudulent fundraisers claiming to help police, firefighters, and veterans. Koster says that while financial assistance is promised to these worthy recipients, they rarely see much of it as most of the money remains with the fundraiser.
Koster describes these fraudulent individuals as: “People who are raising money for organizations like the Disabled Police Officers of America or the National Vietnam Veterans Foundation … But in reality these scam artists are taking 85, 90, 95, 98 percent of the proceeds and putting it in their own pockets and turning as little as a few thousand dollars over to these otherwise worthy causes.”
Koster says it’s important for Missourians who donate to charities to know that most of the money raised makes its way to the intended recipients.
“These kinds of scams are occurring coast to coast across the country,” said Koster. “We led an effort where 40 states around the country and the Federal Trade Commission in Washington have announced an effort to really crack down on these individuals in Missouri and everywhere in the U.S.”
Missourians can check the Attorney General’s Check a Charity website for information on charities and the percentage of their donations that are used for program services.
Download/Listen: Attorney General Chris Koster describes scam artists (:30 MP3)
